Teaching Shakespeare to Language Learners Dr Chris5na Lima University of Leicester 14 January 2016
www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
Overview Part 1: •  Why teaching Shakespeare? •  Shakespeare & Language •  Shakespeare & Context Part 2: •  Working with Language •  Developing the Four Skills •  PromoGng Independent Learning www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
Why Shakespeare? •  Why not? •  Relevance: relaGonships & topics that are related to our lives •  Context: sustained engagement with characters & situaGons •  Challenge: cogniGve engagement & sense of empowerment •  Learning: language awareness & vocabulary building www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
How difficult is Shakespeare’s language? a. 
b. 
c. 
d. 
Very difficult Quite difficult Quite easy Very easy www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
Shakespeare & Language The Myths: • 
• 
• 
• 
The quanGty myth The invenGon myth The style myth The translaGon myth www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
The QuanGty Myth • 
End of 16th century: 150,000 •  21st century: 600,000 •  Fluent speaker: 50,000 •  Shakespeare’s vocabulary: 20,000 ‘It is not as much the number of words we have as what we do with those words that makes the difference between an ordinary and a brilliant use of language.’ (p.3) www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
The InvenGon Myth •  First recorded user in the OED •  2,200 words first recorded in Shakespeare •  1,700 plausible Shakespearean invenGons •  About half of them stayed in the language •  anthropophagy, assassinaAon •  ear, eye, lip, mouth, scandal, word •  uncomfortable, uncompassionate, uneducated, unaware, undo (314) www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
The Style Myth Style: vocabulary, sentence length, structure, word-­‐
order, sounds, interacGon between speakers •  Characters' styles: groups or individuals •  Genres: tragedies, comedies, history plays •  Early and later plays •  Language choices between alternaGves in parGcular lines www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
The TranslaGon Myth •  10% of Shakespeare's grammar is likely to cause a comprehension problem •  95% of Shakespeare’s vocabulary are words we know and use every day •  only 5% of all different words in all Shakespeare’s plays will give you a hard Gme www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
If quanGty, unusual words, and ‘style’ are not the major problems, why do so many people find it difficult to understand Shakespeare? www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
Shakespeare & Language What we need to understand Shakespeare: • Pay agenGon to the language • Use our imaginaGon • Think creaGvely • Rethink the sentences • Watch & read – read & watch • Use the Shakespeare Glossary www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
Shakespeare & Context • 
• 
• 
• 
Historical context: Elizabethan England Literary context: Elizabethan theatre Cultural references: people, places, situaGons Intertextuality: the Bible and Classical Literature www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
Working with Language •  Memorable language: language in context •  CreaGve use of language: word classes, affixaGon, phrasal verbs, idioms •  FiguraGve language: metaphor, similes, oxymoron •  Sentence construcGon: parallelism and hendiadys •  PragmaGcs www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
Developing the Four Skills •  Reading: extracts, adaptaGons (graded readers), summaries, extra informaGon, working with translaGons, literary criGcism •  Listening: selected scenes, trailers, film adaptaGons, recorded stage performances, interviews www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
Developing the Four Skills •  Speaking: reading groups, class discussions, presentaGons, group debates, performances •  WriGng: summaries, paraphrasing, creaGve wriGng, essay wriGng www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
PromoGng Independent Learning • 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
Web quests Group projects Internet interacGve tools Pulng on a play Library search Flipped lessons MOOC: Exploring Shakespeare Shakespeare Lives 2016 www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
References • 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
Bate, J. (2009) Soul of the Age. London: Penguin. Bate, J. and Thornton, D. (2012) Shakespeare Staging the World. London: The BriGsh Museum Press. Bickley, P. and Stevens, J. (2013) EssenAal Shakespeare. London: Bloomsbury. Crystal, D. (2008) Think of My Words: Exploring Shakespeare’s Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Crystal, D and Crystal, B. (2002) Shakespeare’s Words. London: Penguin. Gibson, R. (1998) Teaching Shakespeare. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Johnson, K. (2013) Shakespeare’s English. Harlow: Pearson. Crystal, B. (2013) Springboard Shakespeare Series. London: Bloomsbury. Crystal, B. (2013) Shakespeare on Toast. London: Icon Books. Kermode, F. (2000) Shakespeare’s Language. London: Penguin. Wells, S. (1994) Shakespeare: The Poet and his Plays. London: Methuen. Wells, S. (2002) Shakespeare: For All Time. Oxford: Oxford University Press. www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
Thank you! •  [email protected] •  h@p://chrislima90.weebly.com www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda